noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - noiZe Magazine Issue 59 February 2009 - Index

chatting each other up. Shirts firmly
remained on torsos.
A lot of the Sanker “magic touch”
can be attributed to the perception
that if his name is on the event,
you’re guaranteed a fun, sexy crowd
(shirts on or off). One relatively new
event, Fresh Fridays at WeHo’s
Eleven Lounge, has a line down the
block each week. “I create Donald
Trump-style events,” Sanker said in
a recent interview. “I want to give
only the best of everything: the
best DJs, venues, performers and
themes. That is why they keep coming
back.”
Sanker’s signature event, White
Party, is celebrating its twentieth
anniversary this year. Sanker points
out that drink sales have gone up
25% in the past few years, but he
likes to keep this one Old School.
Each event is in a “big room” where
the focus is on serious dancing, performances,
and connecting with the
crowd. For the twentieth anniversary,
he is planning an over-the-top
event. However, despite having bigname
headliners like J-Lo and Tony
Braxton in the past, do not expect
the usual rumor mill of who might
be the special performer this year.
He is done with that.
“If you want to see Cher, go to
Vegas,” Sanker quipped. (He's been
there with a roadshow White Party
in the 24-hour town.) This year, he is
focusing on bringing big, innovative
shows to Palm Springs that will blow
the crowd away, without any of the
anticipation (or drama) of an unannounced
diva showing up—or not.
He was the first to add Cirque du
Soleil-type performances to dance
events. Previous years have included
the L.A. Philharmonic backing
up Flava; live horses; acrobats; and
insane pyrotechnics. No matter
what he comes up with, you know it will
be exciting—even without one of those
big-name (and big-maned) divas.
DJ-wise he is also mixing it up. This
year, he’s going international by importing
Oscar Velasquez from Mexico City
for Friday night and Ana Paula from Rio
closing the main event. He’s also nurturing
the hottest young DJs on the scene
such as the Perry Twins, Casey Alva and
Morningstar. The theme for this year’s
White Party is “Legion of Superheroes.”
To keep with that theme, each event is
set up “dynamic duo” style. Every party
will have a known DJ along with a fresh
face as the sidekick to give the boys a
feel for tomorrow’s headliners.
39
Happy Am I! Healthy Am I! holy Am I!
Looking Back & ahead
Surprisingly, Sanker got the idea to do
a dance event in Palm Springs from the
lesbian community. In 1987, he felt the
New York club scene was moribund.
So he moved to Los Angeles, where